Automation systems featuring a plurality of subscribers which are connected to a common communication channel are already known.
Furthermore the manual creation and storage of diagnostic information within the framework of project planning for the system is already known as regards the subscribers of these types of automation systems. This manual creation of the diagnostic information is very time-consuming. Any errors detected are rectified locally using programs which depend on the subscriber concerned.
A device and a method for data communication are known from US 2002/0120671, especially for parametrization and remote supervision of heating plants. With this known device a plurality of subscribers are connected to a common bus. The bus subscribers can transmit messages for diagnostic purposes. A protocol converter is also connected to the bus which is connected via a modem to the Internet. Furthermore a system computer which features a database is connected via a further modem to the Internet. If an error occurs in one of the subscribers the occurrence of this error is notified via the Internet and/or another data connection to the operator.
A system and a method for accessing information of a remotely arranged device and for transmission of this information to a client workstation are known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,246 A. In this known method a micro server is integrated in each case into the subscriber connected via a bus or the Ethernet which allows access to the data of the subscriber, using Web pages for example. The data of the subscriber is transmitted on demand or cyclically to a remotely arranged client. The micro server converts the data of the relevant subscriber such that it corresponds to a communication protocol.
A method is known from EP 0964 325 A1 in which diagnostic data of plug-in devices of a process automation system is collected via a field communication interface using a field communication protocol. Furthermore status data of the field devices is transmitted to another application of the automation system, for example to the control room software or management software. This occurs independently of the type of field device.
A Web-based tool check in conjunction with semiconductor fabrication is known from US 2002/0095644 A1. The invention described there discloses a system for connection of semiconductor fabrication tools using a data network and a microprocessor-based interface which is assigned to each process tool. The data network and the Interface look after communication in accordance with known standards over Intranet or Internet connections to one or more remotely arranged browsers. The data arising during the process is available in realtime on the network and can be retrieved by an operator at any point of the network.